An act of deliberate and perverse cruelty: Gautam Navlakha denied spectacles by Taloja Jail authorities, partner claims

Sahba Husain, the partner of Bhima Koregaon accused Gautam Navlakha, has issued a statement claiming that the Taloja jail authorities have refused to accept a parcel containing a new pair of spectacles for Navlakha..His old pair was stolen from the jail, where he has been detained since May 2020..Husain issued a statement reading,"...the tall claims made by Indian authorities on jail conditions, in their extradition cases and constitutional directives on the rights of prisoners are alike mocked by their act of deliberate and perverse cruelty.".The statement mentions that 70-year-old Navlakha, who suffers from several ailments, had his pair of glasses stolen on November 27. Husain called it a 'situation of emergency' because Navlakha is "close to blind without his glasses"..It was an emergency, for he is close to blind without his glasses.Sahba Husain.Husain states that the jail authorities let him call home for a replacement pair only after three days, following which she immediately arranged for a pair to be sent to the jail.She claims that the Taloja jail authorities refused to accept the parcel when it arrived by post..Being unable to see things around him, Navlakha is in acute distress and suffering from high blood pressure, Husain further claims..Husain goes on to raise concerns of cruel behaviour by the jail authorities by citing the examples of Dr Varavara Rao and Father Stan Swamy as well, both of whom have also been detained for their alleged roles in the Bhima Koregaon case..Swamy had moved the National Investigation Agency (NIA) court earlier stating that his belongings, including a straw and sipper, were confiscated by the NIA. Swamy had claimed that he has difficulty consuming liquids without the straw and sipper bottle since he is suffering from Parkinson's disease..His plea to return the same was, however, rejected by the NIA court on November 26 after the NIA told the court that it did not have Swamy's belongings..Additional Director General of Police (ADGP) Sunil Ramanand later told Bar & Bench that Swamy has been provided with straw and sipper, a fact that was later confirmed by Swamy's lawyer..Dr. Rao's wife, on the other hand, had sought for the High Court's intervention to ensure that Rao gets the necessary medical assistance..Senior Advocate Indira Jaising, arguing on behalf of Rao, expressed her apprehensions that not providing medical assistance to Rao at the earliest might lead to him losing his life in custody. The High Court eventually agreed to shift Rao to Nanavati Hospital for medical treatment.